Jon RHA

PR for @RHANews 🚚 | Suffering MUFC fan.

[Jon RHA @RHAJon_]

📢We’re looking for a Membership Engagement Manager to join the @RHANews team in Northern Ireland.

A great opportunity to work for a leading trade body, representing the road transport sector.

Please share with anyone who might be interested.
More👇

🔗https://t.co/ZpwHEjzTZ5

[Jon RHA @RHAJon_]

RT @RHANews: 80% of all goods moving across the UK travel by lorry or van.

With elections approaching in Scotland and Wales, the RHA is hi…

[Jon RHA @RHAJon_]

Good to hear my colleague @RHADeclan on @bbcradioulster calling on the UK Government to follow other nations & urgently act to support essential fuel users like our key sector. 👇

[RHA @RHANews]

📻 LISTEN: Our Director of Policy & Public Affairs, @RHADeclan, was on @bbcradioulster this morning, stressing the need for government action on the cost of fuel.

The UK Government needs to respond to the crisis we're in with the powers available... Businesses are paying between £350 and £400 extra on fuel per week, per vehicle. This is unsustainable.

We need immediate support via an essential fuel user rebate. The Government also needs to scrap plans to raise fuel duty further.

Many other countries have stepped in to support essential fuel users, we haven't seen any action from the UK Government to date.

#RHACampaigns

[RHA @RHANews]

🔴 LIVE: Our Director of Policy & Public Affairs, @RHADeclan, is currently speaking to MPs on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on the topic of energy costs.

Declan has told MPs that fuel costs for operators have risen by over 40 per cent as a result of global events. Before this crisis, firms in our industry were already struggling to absorb costs. The current situation is unsustainable without support.

He said: "The UK is in danger of becoming an outlier due to a lack of action addressing fuel costs."

"The UK is one of the few developed nations that hasn't introduced targeted support for essential fuel users like our sector."

We want Government to immediately back essential users of fuel with targeted support and scrap the planned fuel duty hikes. The Government needs to act.

[Richard Smith @RHARJSmith]

Great to catch up with William Irvine and Alexander Kinnear from the @UFUHQ.
We had a really productive discussion on why the essential user rebate is so vital for both the transport and agri-food sectors the latter being the largest sector in Northern Ireland.
Thank you both for your time today.

#Collaboration

[Jon RHA @RHAJon_]

#Fuel costs are hitting our essential industry hard. Across the UK - in England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland, the RHA has been across the airwaves calling for urgent action from decision-makers.

Latest from David👇📻

[RHA @RHANews]

📻 LISTEN: "Westminster has the levers to act on policy and taxation... we're seeing lots of positive words, but no action at present from the UK Government... We need immediate action now" says RHA Director of Public Affairs and Policy, David Boot, speaking to BBC Radio Foyle.

We continue to call on government to take targeted action to support essential users of fuel, including hauliers, coach operators and van operators.
This includes:
- Looking at targeted fuel duty support, such as an Essential User Fuel Rebate
- Providing certainty on fuel duty, including not increasing it in September
- Reconsidering plans to link fuel duty to inflation, which risks adding further cost pressures.

We need practical steps that help stabilise costs and protect supply chains.

[Richard Smith @RHARJSmith]

Welcome news from #Stormont as the Northern Ireland First Minister and Deputy First Minister have written to the PM calling for urgent action on fuel costs to manage inflation.

They call a reduction in fuel duty and ‘targeted support for hauliers, farmers and SMEs’ which mirror our asks of the Government.

We urge the Chancellor to scrap fuel duty increases planned from September and back operators with a targeted Essential User Rebate for haulage, coach and van operators. This would help protect supply chains, following actions by other countries including Spain, France and Italy.

There is significant precedent for the Treasury to introduce an essential user rebate, with the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) mechanism offering a rebate for bus operators and the Rural Fuel Duty Relief scheme which supported rural motorists.

We’re also campaigning for fair payment terms (30 days) to support cashflow across the sector.

https://t.co/7rlAy2svEn

#RHACostsAndRegulation #FuelDuty

[RHA @RHANews]

Northern Ireland's First Minister and Deputy First Minister urge the PM to support transport operators with fuel duty relief to help manage costs. We welcome their call given the huge strain businesses are feeling as fuel prices soar. More from our MD, @RHARichardSmith 👇

#RHACostsAndRegulation #FuelDuty #SupplyChains @moneillsf @little_pengelly

[Jon RHA @RHAJon_]

500 HGV, Coach & Van operators tell Chancellor to scrap #fuel duty rise and urgently support the industry that keeps our economy & supply-chain moving. In today’s @DailyMail 👇

https://t.co/ut8vHtsR62

[RHA @RHANews]

📻 RHA board member, Michael Gough, Managing Director of A.E Gough & Sons, was on BBC Radio Wales earlier today providing first hand insights into the reality of rising fuel costs on our industry and the UK economy.

The RHA is calling on government to take targeted action to support essential users of fuel, including hauliers, coach operators and van operators. This includes:
- Looking at targeted fuel duty support, such as an Essential User Fuel Rebate
- Providing certainty on fuel duty, including not increasing it in September
- Reconsidering plans to link fuel duty to inflation, which risks adding further cost pressures

We need practical steps that help stabilise costs and protect supply chains.

[Richard Smith @RHARJSmith]

The Prime Minister's roundtable today – bringing together energy, finance, insurance and military leaders to address the economic impact of the Iran conflict - is a reminder of how quickly global events can send shockwaves through our economy.
For road transport, rising energy costs aren't a background concern. This is front and centre. Fuel is fundamental to everything we do – and right now, HGV, Coach and Van operators are feeling the squeeze, with commercial fuel supply costs running up to 40% higher than just a few weeks ago, adding hundreds of pounds per week, per truck.
With 80% of goods and materials moved by road – our essential sector doesn't sit on the periphery of the economy. We are crucial to the nation's economic health.

We're in active conversations with policymakers and industry on these issues, but we need to see more action from Government. Operators are raising real concerns about soaring costs, delivery timelines and some operators are also concerned about local availability of fuel. These matters need to be monitored closely – and government must have a clear plan to protect essential fuel users.

The planned September fuel duty increase must be scrapped, and we need to see a targeted rebate for essential users. Businesses in our sector operate on thin margins and cannot simply absorb sustained cost pressures of this scale.

Road transport keeps the country moving and goods flowing – and it must be recognised and protected by Government. We want to meet the Chancellor soon to discuss these crucial matters at this critical time.
I welcome your thoughts.

[RHA @RHANews]

Our UK Public Affairs & Policy Director David Boot appeared on @BBCRadio4's 'PM' over the weekend to discuss the ongoing #fuel situation, and the need for more Government support for our essential sector at this time. 🎧 👇

[RHA @RHANews]

Thank you to @FlanneryPlant Hire and John Moran for hosting an RHA member visit with David Boot, @KemiBadenoch MP and Shadow Secretary of State for Transport @RicHolden at their Wembley site today.

Following sustained RHA campaigning on the impact of fuel costs on operators - and growing national media attention on the issue - it was encouraging to see fuel duty raised in Parliament yesterday during Prime Minister’s Questions by Kemi Badenoch and other MPs.

Today’s visit provided a valuable opportunity to continue that conversation on the ground, with Kemi Badenoch MP seeing first-hand the vital role plant, logistics and specialist transport operations play in supporting major construction and infrastructure projects across the UK.

Visits like this are an important opportunity to ensure policymakers hear directly from the businesses keeping projects moving across the country.

The RHA continues to press for practical support to help operators manage rising fuel costs and wider pressures on the sector, including:

• halting the planned reversal of the 5p fuel duty cut
• a temporary reduction in fuel VAT
• stronger UK energy security
• mandatory 30-day payment terms to ease cash-flow pressures

Creating a level playing field for the industry is crucial. We will continue working with the industry and policymakers to ensure the realities facing operators are clearly understood and that these priorities remain firmly on the agenda.

[Richard Smith @RHARJSmith]

Today the Road Haulage Association delivered an open letter to the Prime Minister signed by 115 parliamentarians calling for urgent action to improve facilities for the UK’s lorry drivers. MPs and Peers from across Parliament have joined the @RHANews in urging the Government to support measures that ensure drivers have access to safe, secure parking and decent roadside facilities.

Truck drivers keep our country moving. They deliver the food on our shelves, the medicines in our hospitals and the goods that power our economy. Yet far too often they are forced to rest in lay-bys or industrial estates because there simply are not enough suitable places to stop.
This is not just a driver welfare issue. The shortage of secure parking also increases the risk of freight crime, disrupts supply chains and makes it harder to recruit the next generation of drivers.

The strength of support behind this letter shows the scale of concern across Parliament. Improving facilities for drivers is essential if we want a resilient, secure and professional freight sector.

We will continue to press the Prime Minister on this issue and look forward to receiving his personal response.

#Logistics #Freight #SupplyChains #TruckDrivers #RoadTransport

[RHA @RHANews]

Our Public Affairs & Policy Director (England), @RHADeclan told the Transport Select Committee in Parliament today that poor roadside facilities are making it harder to recruit and retain drivers. With freight crime on the rise, "less than 4% of parking sites are deemed safe and secure, and organised criminals know it."

Declan called for real ministerial focus and urgent planning reform to get adequate facilities for HGV and Coach drivers built ASAP.

[RHA @RHANews]

We were delighted to be invited to a roundtable on #FreightCrime with @ukhomeoffice Minister of State (Policing & Crime) Sarah Jones MP, @transportgovuk Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State - Keir Mather MP & Chair of our APPG, @RachelTaylorMP. 👇

The roundtable follows years of RHA led campaigning on freight crime alongside our partners at @NaVCIS_UK. We were joined by RHA members LTS Global Solutions and other trade bodies to deliver a unified voice against this growing threat.

Later this year we'll launch the APPG’s second report into freight crime, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Home Office, DfT and others to represent the road haulage industry’s voice.

[RHA @RHANews]

On Friday, Chancellor @RachelReevesMP met with RHA members & industry leaders (including our MD @RHARJSmith) to discuss a range of issues facing the road #freight and #logistics sector. 👇

Following the visit which was hosted by our member LTS Global Solutions & @RachelTaylorMP, Richard said:

"Today was a signal of just how important our industry is, central to moving everything and driving growth. I was keen to press the deep concerns we have about rising fuel duty, depressed international haulage and the ongoing rise of freight crime..."

Read more in @Motor_Transport:

🔗👇https://t.co/Vv8aCRewfQ

[RHA @RHANews]

Safe #parking and basic roadside facilities aren't luxuries, they're essentials. Yet many drivers in our industry are still forced to rest at the side of dimly lit roads without access to toilets or secure parking.

📺 Watch our member and MD of Freightlink Europe - Lesley O'Brien speak to @BBCLookNorth about the need for more secure parking. 👇

We took this message to MPs and Peers at our Westminster reception last night. You can support the campaign by emailing your MP and asking them to sign our letter to @10DowningStreet calling for better #welfare facilities for our drivers:

🔗 https://t.co/61elC9EN3q

[Richard Smith @RHARJSmith]

Really great to meet with Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, at @RHANews member @RailFreight impressive intermodal terminal in Birmingham.

The West Midlands is essential to our national logistics network, and logistics is essential to the West Midlands economy. Mayor Parker knows the importance of this synergy, and the opportunities the logistics industry can provide for social mobility, particularly for those not in employment, education or training.

It was great to discuss with him how the West Midlands Combined Authority can include logistics in its growth, transport and skills plans, and I look forward to working closely with Mayor Parker and his team to deliver for our industry, the West Midlands and the nation.

[RHA @RHANews]

With 50,000 pothole defects and a series of related incidents being reported on NI roads in the last three months alone, we're calling for funding to be ring-fenced and specifically allocated for longer-term pothole fixes.

Commenting on this, our Policy Lead, @JamesBarwiseRHA said:

“Poorly maintained roads are causing misery for road users every day creating delays, diversions and adding to already high costs for many businesses.

"The sheer volume of reported pothole related incidents highlights the short-term nature of many repairs happening across the country. We’re calling for funds to be allocated and ring-fenced now - specifically for longer-term fixes".

Read more in @News_Letter via: 🔗https://t.co/7M4i8dmdVM